Elias jones



E. JONES.

Bee Hive.

Pa tentd Feb. 12,1845; I

n I s ones, on AMSTERDAM, ew xoax.

BEEHIVE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 3,911 dated February 12, 1845.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ELIAS JONES, of

Amsterdam, in the county of Montgomery and State of New York, haveinvented a new and Improved Mode of Dividing and Increasing Swarms ofBees, which 1s described as follows, reference being had to the annexeddrawings of the same, making part of this specification.

' Figure 1 is a perspective view of the hive. Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of one of the boxes. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the top. Fig.4 is a perspective view of the pyramidal bottom .detached from the hive.Fig. 5 is a perspective view of theunder or concave side of thepyramidal bottom. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the bottom board uponwhich the pyramidal bottom rests.

The hive, generally, is made like other bee hives in use, such as thepyramidal bottom A, boxes B B, glass windows C for examining the bees,sides D for closing the windows, top E for collecting the honey,fastenings F for securing the boxes together.

My improvement consists in a certain new and useful combination andarrangement of a horizontal series of parallel perforated tubes H forconducting the warm breath of the apiarian to the vicinity of the jointbetween the boxes where the separation and division is required to takeplace, for the purpose of driving the bees to any part of the boxesrequired whenever it becomes necessary to colonize them. Said tubesserving also to sustain the comb in the boxes and to admit air forventilation. And slides I for closing them in wintersaid slides alsostrengthening the tubes to secure the comb attached to them. Also in thearrangement of other tubes K in the sides of the boxes to admit thebreath of the apiarian for directing the bees to the position requiredin the boxes for the purpose above set forth.

The horizontal range of perforated parallel tubes H aforesaid are madeof paper and placed at the top of each box inside and just below thejoint between the two boxes, extending through the sides of the boxes,the ends of the tubes outside the boxes being open for the admission ofthe air, or the slides. The single tubes K have no slides and arearranged near the bottoms of the boxes. They are perforated around theirperipheries from the inside to the outside. The paper tubes are to beperforated after they are arranged in the hive and as required bywithdrawing the slides and intro ducing a wire bent at right angles andmade sharp at the bent end. They may be formed on the slides after beinginserted into their corresponding grooves by wrapping the paper aroundthem and then withdrawing the slides from the paper.

The bees will, as usual, commence their operations at the top of theupper box and work downward till all the boxes are filled. Feelingthemselves crowded, and needing more space they will swarm and colonizeelsewhere unless attended to before the boxes are filled. Therefore,before the lower box be filled, which may be seen through the glasswindow, preparation is made for a horizontal division of them by drivingthe bees from the joint where the comb is to be divided; this iseffected by introducing warm air or breath through the perforated tubes,to which the bees have an avertion, and as soon as they feel the warmbreath to touch their bodies, they retreat from the vicinity of thetubes and when they are in a proper position in the boxes for theoperation of dividing the comb a flat plate of metal, or a wire, or silkthread or other suitable article is passed between the boxes by whichthe comb is divided horizontally. The boxes are then separated andplaced upon empty boxesthat which was at top becoming the top of a rangeof boxes; and that which was at the bottom becoming the top of anotherrange of boxesa top being previously placed upon the lower box. Thus areformed two colonies of bees from one hive. The boxes are then placedupon the pyramidal base A which is made concave on the under side andplaced upon a horizontal perforated board M of greater length andbreadth-the lower edges of the pyramid being made concave except at thefour corners, which rest upon the perforated board; thus when the wormfalls from the comb he strikes the inclined surface of the pyramidalbase and rolls down upon the horizontal perforated board and inattempting again to ascend will pass under the concave edges of thepyramid to the apertures in the horizontal board. The bottom board mayrest on legs upon the ground or be suspended from the under side of aroof or otherwise. The honey may likewise be taken from the hive withoutdriving the bees from the hive or destroying them by simply driving thebees from the upper to the lower box in the manner above described, thenpassing a thin slide or wire through between the boxes, removing theupper from the lower box, placing the top of the formed upon the top ofthe latter, discharging the upper box of its honey and then making itthe lower box, in this manner the honey can be perpetually taken withoutdestroying the bees. This, however, I do not mean to claim as myinvention.

It should be observed that in dividing or colonizing the bees in themanner above described that a pyramidal base and rectangular top must beprovided for each colony or pair of boxes.

hat I claim as my invention andwhich I desire to secure by LettersPatent is The arrangement of the horizontal parallel tubes and slidesand the manner of dividing the bees by means of the breath as set forth.

ELIAS JONES. Witnesses:

G. D. PRICE, Jo-HN OLMSTED.

